On April 13, an unstable prototype of the Foreskin Pride Salute was tested on the front steps of the British Columbia Parliament....

The cut

Let’s make it absolutely clear what infant circumcision is. Below is an audio/video clip of a Canadian baby boy being circumcised in a Canadian hospital. For best results, turn on the subtitles (CC) and view in fullscreen mode. (If you’re the impatient type, the blood-chilling screams start at 3:00.)

Fun fact: throughout the 20th century, circumcision advocates claimed that infants don’t really feel pain during circumcision because their nerves are undeveloped. What do you think?

Many believe the foreskin is a piece of “extra” skin that hangs loose off the head of the penis, and cutting it off is a casual “snip”. In fact, the foreskin is not “extra” at all—it is adhered to the head of the penis for the first few years of life and has to be forcibly torn loose before being cut off (see 3:15-3:50 in the video).

The main function of the foreskin in infancy is to protect the glans (penis head) and urethra from the baby’s urine (which burns) and fecal matter (which contains harmful micro-organisms). Cut it off, and now the end of his penis is directly exposed to these nasty things every time he soils his diaper. Post-circumcision infections of the wound are common. So much for the idea that circumcision improves baby’s hygiene!